Gender at Work

🎆 In 2024, Gender at Work reaches another organisational milestone – its 21st anniversary. ✨ With lots of love and grace, we invite you to sing along and celebrate our 'coming of age' in FABULOUS style! https://lnkd.in/dym9Xmqy

Celebrating a decade of Letsema: Building communities free of gender-based violence 🫀 On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we reflect on the transformative power of community-driven action. Over a decade ago, Gender at Work and the Labour Research Service initiated the Letsema process in the Vaal (Gauteng, South Africa), aiming to address the root causes of gender-based violence (#GBV) and grow a culture of inclusivity, equality, and non-violence in the area. Through an emergent, multi-stakeholder approach, Letsema wove together the voices and actions of women, men, LGBTQ+ individuals, unions, community leaders, and even traditional healers. Together, they tackled pressing issues—from breaking the silence around GBV to addressing illegal initiation schools, substance abuse, and gender inequality. What started as a search for new ways of addressing gender-based violence has ended up growing a strong community spirit of care. In this short video, we hear an excerpt from a conversation between Michel Friedman and Nina Benjamin, Gender at Work Associates who spearheaded the initiative, about the innovative approaches used to mobilise the community in the Vaal and what made the process so unique and important as a driver of social change. Letsema is a testament to the power of collective vision, shared responsibility, and grassroots leadership. The initiative has inspired countless acts of courage and creativity, nurturing what participants call “the gift of harmlessness” and sowing the seeds for a future with zero violence. This November 25, as we honour efforts worldwide to eliminate violence against women, we celebrate the resilience and commitment of Letsema's participants and supporters. Let their story inspire us all to take bold, united action to create a safer, more equitable world. Learn more about the Letsema process and its stories of change by checking the different links listed in the comments.

Our current economic system is failing—it’s time to embrace bold, inclusive solutions rooted in feminist values and equitable practices. Are you curious about initiatives and strategies that challenge the status quo and prioritise equity, care, and community? Are you attending the 15th Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) International Forum? If so, we’d love for you to join us! 💡 What? Feminist Economic Justice: Current and Future Strategies 🗓 When? 2 December ⏰ Time? 14:30–15:45 📍 Where? Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Room 109B (Bangkok, Thailand) Power Up! is convening leading feminist organisers and grassroots activists to share transformative strategies for building economic justice movements led by women in all their diversity. We’re especially excited to welcome Nina Benjamin (Gender at Work Associate and Labour Research Service Gender Programme Lead), who will share insights from her work supporting Volunteer Food Handlers to advocate for their rights to fair and decent work in South Africa’s National School Nutrition Programme. ⚠ Spaces are limited, so make sure to register via the AWID Forum app as soon as possible. Further details on registration can be found in the comments below.

Last month, Gender at Work proudly co-facilitated the Feminist Network for Gender-Transformative Education (FemNet4GTE) conference, organised by the UN Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI). This annual convening brings together feminist changemakers from around the world to advance gender equality in and through education. Representatives from over 60 countries—including activists, experts, civil society organisations, governments, donors, and multilaterals—gathered both in person in South Africa and online for this important event. Our Associates—Ahmad Hegab, Aayushi Aggarwal, Khanysa E. Mabyeka, and Nosipho Twala—played a key role in facilitating strategic sessions and leading collective processes. It was an inspiring opportunity to contribute to vibrant discussions, share insights, and help shape actionable steps towards transformative education. Link in the comments to learn more about FemNet4GTE 👇🏽 📸 Pictures by UNGEI.

“What we’ve learned from this journey is that GRESP can act as both a catalyst and a framework for driving collective action towards gender-transformative education systems. What began as a capacity-building initiative has evolved into an active community of practice, creating tangible change on the ground.” #Throwback to Gender at Work's collaboration with the UN Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) and partners in championing Gender-Responsive Education Planning (GRESP) across Africa. 🌍 Discover more about our journey towards building gender-transformative education systems and creating safer, more equitable schools, alongside over 50 educators from 8 African countries, in this past year: https://lnkd.in/eaAPQmDM

Exciting collaboration in action! 🤝 This week, PEKKA Foundation (Indonesia), Ophenta Associação (Mozambique), and Gender at Work are gathering in Indonesia for a transformative learning exchange, as part of the Power Up! programme. The goal? To strengthen women’s economic strategies for resilience, autonomy, and feminist movement-building. Key activities include: 🔹 Participatory seminars to share experiences and foster learning synergies between organisations; 🔹Visits to women market traders and PEKKA activists to explore grassroots economic and political organising, income generation, and cooperative models; 🔹Feminist talks where OPHENTA will share its approach to awareness-raising, feminist consciousness-building, and addressing gender-based violence while promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights. Together, we are building solidarity across borders and empowering womxn-led movements to challenge oppressive power structures. 💪

#HiringAlert | JUST ONE WEEK LEFT TO APPLY! We’re seeking a dedicated consultancy team or firm to lead the endline evaluation for the Power Up! programme—a transformative five-year initiative empowering womxn-led collectives, movements, and organisations to challenge and dismantle oppressive power structures across 10+ countries. ⏳ Applications close on Sunday, 24 November. For more details, review the Terms of Reference below! 🤝 Power Up! is a collaboration between JASS (Just Associates), PEKKA Foundation and Gender at Work. #Consultancy #FeministEvaluation #FeministMEL #MEL

#ICYMI ✨ Power Up! Annual Report 2023 ✨ In 2023, we doubled down on feminist principles to drive change! From building alliances and setting agendas to challenging narratives and exploring just economic alternatives, our 2023 journey has been one of resilience and transformation ⚡️ Dive into our key learnings and collective impact and read the full report here 🔗 bit.ly/3CqkSMS Gender at Work #PEKKA

SAVE THE DATE! 🌍 FEMINIST ECONOMIC JUSTICE: CURRENT AND FUTURE STRATEGIES 🌏 A Power Up! Panel at the 15th Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) International Forum 📅 Date: 2 December 🕛 Time: 14:30-15:45 (GMT+7) 📍 Location: Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok, Thailand Join us at the world’s largest gathering for feminist and gender justice to explore today’s hegemonic economic systems through Feminist Popular Education tools. We’ll also delve into strategies for building womxn-led economic justice movements, centring the experiences and expertise of Power Up! feminist organisers and activists. Stay tuned for the registration link and further details on the in-person format and location in the coming days!

#HiringAlert The Power Up! consortium is seeking the support of a team of external and independent consultants to undertake the endline evaluation of the program in a 17 month period, from December 1, 2024 to May 1, 2026. Last date to submit proposals: November 24, 2024 Learn more about the ToR and application process here - https://lnkd.in/gBNgwGDR Gender at Work PEKKA